Travel to New Roads Louisiana

Tourist Information for New Roads & Point Coupee Parish

Known as the “Little Carnival Capital” of Louisiana, New Roads followed New Orleans’ example by staging Mardi Gras celebrations as early as 1881. The event continues to this day, drawing thousands of visitors.

New Roads is located on Louisiana Highway 1 about 30 miles northwest of downtown Baton Rouge, and is the parish seat of Pointe Coupee Parish.

Le Poste de Pointe Coupée (“The Pointe Coupee Post”) is one of the oldest communities in the Mississippi Valley, founded in the 1720s by settlers from France.

The town is named after a “new road” the Spanish built in 1776 between the Mississippi and the False River, northwest from Baton Rouge.

Pointe Coupee Parish is surrounded by three major rivers: the Mississippi on the east, the Atchafalaya River on the west, and the mouth of the Red River on the north. False River is also in the parish.

The population of News Roads is about 5,000 residents. It resides in Area Code 225 and is assigned Zip Code 70760.

False River Regional Airport (HZR) is a general aviation facility that features a 5,003' runway, 40' in width. It is located 2 miles northwest of New Roads.

St. Mary's Catholic Church, New Roads
(Courtesy of the Louisiana Office of Tourism)

Nearby communities include Morganza, Jarreau, Ventress, Oscar, Rougon, Torras, Livonia, Erwinville, and Batchelor. St. Francisville is also nearby, across the Mississippi River via the Audubon Bridge.

False River

False River is an 11-mile long oxbow lake, covering 3,200 acres, and was formerly the main channel of the Mississippi River until the early 1700s. It has an average depth of 21 feet.

Louisiana Highway 1 runs along the west side of False River, while LA 413 is on the east bank. LA Highway 10 connects New Roads with the Audubon Bridge to the east, and then to U.S. 61 near St. Francsiville.

The location of New Roads on False River makes it a popular locale for weekend camps, summer homes, businesses and restaurants.

Fishing, water skiing, sailing and other outdoor recreational activities make New Roads a popular travel destination.

Cajun Aces TV Show on the Food Network

Sam and Cody Carroll of Louisiana premiered their new Food Network show, “Cajun Aces" on December 2, 2017.

Hot Tails in New Roads was the two chefs’ first restaurant, which is located at 1113 Hospital Road. Scenes in the TV series are filmed at the restaurant, and at the family farm in nearby Batchelor.

The Chefs of Cajun Aces ... Cody and Sam Carroll, owners of the Hot Tails Restaurant in New Roads, Louisiana (courtesy of the Food Network)

Sac-a-Lait, located in New Orleans’ historic Warehouse District, was opened in 2015.

In the series the married couple tell the story of their cooking ingredients, go harvest the ingredients, cook at the family farm and visit their restaurants.

Hotels and B&Bs in the New Roads Area

Several motels, inns, and bed and breakfasts are located in the New Roads area.

In addition, a large variety of accommodations are available in nearby Baton Rouge as well as just across the river in St. Francisville.

Scenes Around New Roads

The Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse at 201 E. Main Street in New Roads

Parlange Plantation near New Roads, Louisiana, built circa 1750,
and located on 8211 False River Rd./LA Highway 1. The home is privately owned, and open by appointment only; there is a fee charged. Please call 225-638-8410 for further information.

Boat docks on False River in New Roads, Louisiana

John James Audubon Bridge

In December 2010, the construction of the John James Audubon Bridge reached a historic milestone with the connection of the two spans, creating the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge was opened on May 5, 2011.

The opening of the bridge closed a St. Francisville and New Roads icon: the ferry which provided regular service across the Mississippi River and connected the east and west bank communities for decades.

The John James Audubon Bridge over the Mississippi River between New Roads and St. Francisville, Louisiana
(Photograph courtesy of the LA Office of Tourism)

Historic Mississippi River Floods of 1912 and 1927

In 1912, Mississippi River washed through the levee at the community of Torras, creating what would become known as the "Torras Crevasse". Water spread though Pointe Coupee and parishes to the south, including West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Assumption, Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Martin, Iberia, St. Mary and St. Landry.

New Roads was surrounded with water on three sides, and Morganza and Livonia were under water for weeks. Much of the evacuation of residents and bringing in of supplies were done by trains.

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with the Mississippi River swelling to 80 miles in some areas. Part of the flood control projects enacted after 1927 was the Morganza Spillway. Construction of the levees that make up part of the Morganza Spillway began in the late 1930s. The Morganza Control Structure portion of the project was completed in 1954.